Journal Club: A Walking Study Everyone Needs to Know About

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There are so many studies out there and many of them corroborate each other when a certain topic is explored. For instance, there are many studies out there on the benefit of walking for a myriad of ailments. We know walking is good for mental health, cardiovascular health, and helps with blood sugar. As we study the topic of walking an it's affects, it becomes apparent we were made to move and walking is an integral part of that design.

Walking and low back pain have also been studied extensively showing great benefit, but recently a massive study was released on walking and chronic back pain. Again, it corroborates a lot of what we know, but the sample size is huge so, to me, it seems like a landmark study of which all therapists, physicians and even the general public should be made aware. What is the study?

Volume and Intensity of Walking and Risk of Chronic Low Back Pain.

It came out of JAMA just about a month ago and the researchers did a massive analysis of walking volume and intensity on the risk of chronic low back pain. We all know chronic low back pain is an incredible expense on an individual financially, physically, and emotionally. And that's what makes this study all the more pertinent. In this population cohort study with over 11,000 participants, the researches set out to answer this question: Are daily walking volume and walking intensity associated with the risk of chronic low back pain? And what did they find? A resounding, emphatic yes! A higher volume of walking per day (measured in minutes per day) had a 23% lower risk of chronic low back pain. Lots of walking almost acts like a protector. This information definitely needs to be shared, taught, and practiced.

So, not only do we need to educate our patient's on the importance and benefit of walking during an episode of back pain. But we also need to educate patients that a high volume of daily walking actually has a substantial decrease in one's rise of chronic low back pain. Walking for the win again! So, let's practice this ourselves and use this information to encourage folks to get out and walk.
Jason

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